Sharon vows to crash settler resistance to evacuation plan

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued a stern warning Wednesday to Jewish settlers who try to thwart his withdrawal plan from the Gaza Strip, saying the government would use all its forces to carry out this pullout.

Sharon made his comments in an address to Israeli troops, adding he was disturbed by violent scenes this week of Jewish settlers resisting evacuation from a tiny West Bank outpost.

"Those who raise a hand against a soldier or a police officer or a security officer ... we will act against him with all our might," Sharon told the soldiers, according to The AP.

Jewish settlers have threatened to prevent the dismantling of settlements, promising mass resistance, even at the risk of breaking the law. Sharon described calls to resist orders a "crime against Israeli society."